Abstract
Children participating in cooking classes gain confidence in their abilities to prepare food, which may transfer into healthier eating habits. At the Cook Like a Chef camp for youth, the social cognitive theory supports increased cooking confidence as documented in areas of preparing healthy snacks, using healthy cooking techniques, eating healthy foods, and having a positive attitude toward food (P < .0001). Increased confidence was also seen in sauteing (P = .0026), stir-frying (P = .0015), limiting fat (P < .0001), limiting sugar (P < .0001), and eating more fiber (P < .0001). Cooking camps can influence cooking confidence and help children make healthier food choices.